7 Port Chester seats up for grabs; businessman challenges Mayor Pilla

March election could be village's biggest

Jan. 30, 2013

Written by

Leah Rae

PORT CHESTER — Real estate businessman Neil Pagano will challenge Mayor Dennis Pilla in the March election and at least nine people are making a run for village trustee.

The stakes are high in what could be the biggest election since Port Chester was incorporated in 1868: All seven of the village’s elected offices are up for a vote.

The mayoral election, held every two years, coincides this year with a trustee election, now held every three years. Before 2010, trustees were elected annually to staggered terms. But for the second time, the village will fill all six trustee seats at once through cumulative voting — the new system produced by the successful voting-rights lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice.

At the top of the ticket, Democrat Pilla will run for a fourth term against Pagano, chairman of the Port Chester Industrial Development Agency.

Pagano, 70, is not enrolled in a political party and is making his first run for office. He has support from the Conservative and Independence parties.

“Government needs change at the top to keep it fresh, as does every other business,” he said.

Pagano said his nonpartisan politics will help build consensus, while Pilla, 52, said his team has shown an ability to get things done.

“We have to build on the success and the progress we’ve made,” the mayor said.

Democrats and Republicans are competing for a majority on the village board, and using a new strategy. By backing just three trustee candidates apiece, the parties can channel their strengths by asking voters to cast two votes for each member of the slate.

Such “plumping” of votes is made possible by cumulative voting. Port Chester was the first municipality in New York to adopt that method three years ago. As always, voters get one vote to cast for each trustee seat. But they may assign their votes as they wish — putting all six on one candidate or distributing them among several in any combination. There is one vote apiece for mayor.

The election is March 19, but under an agreement with the Justice Department, voters may cast their ballots early at Village Hall March 12-16.

The voting-rights case found that the old trustee election system — at-large voting with staggered terms — prevented Hispanics from electing their preferred candidates to the board.

At caucuses this week, Democrats nominated former Trustee Greg Adams and incumbents Daniel Brakewood and Luis Marino. In 2010, Magano became the first Hispanic ever elected to the village board. The GOP is nominating newcomer Frank Ferrara and incumbents Joseph Kenner and Sam Terenzi. A fourth nominee, Jing Xie, withdrew to improve the GOP’s chances at success.

The field will expand further. Conservatives will include Rico Dos Anjos and incumbent Bart Didden on their slate. Gene Ceccarelli plans to run independently. Trustee John Branca, a Conservative and former mayor, will not seek a new term.